Teens charged over lamb slaughter

TWO teenage males will face the Warwick Children’s Court over the horrific slaying late last year of a pair of pet lambs being kept in the yard of the Clifton Police Station.

In an almost unimaginable act of animal cruelty, police will allege the pair bludgeoned the petrified animals to death with their fists, feet and with rocks after stealing them from the police premises on November 9.

The sickening act was allegedly carried out at the residence of one of the teenagers on Edward Street in Clifton, after they became bored with tormenting the lambs and photographing them with their mobile phones.

One of the 16-year-olds is from Clifton while his accomplice is from Leyburn.

They were both arrested and charged yesterday after a police investigation into the killing of the lambs, which were hand-raised by the young daughters of the one of the Clifton police officers.

Sergeant Guy Smidt said children from the pre-school across the road used to regularly come over and feed and play with the lambs.

“We are pretty disappointed with what is an extremely callous act in regard to the destruction of these animals,” Sgt Smidt said.

“It’s basically a pack mentality – they appear to have egged each other on.”

“The lambs were being kept as lawnmowers in the police yard but we were happy for the children to come and pet them, it was a bit of community policing.

“They (the lambs) were just 12 weeks old.”

The alleged offenders – who cannot be named due to their age – were charged yesterday with several counts, including trespass, theft and unlawful killing of an animal.

In a further twist to the investigation, the teenagers have also been charged with a shocking act of vandalism at the Clifton public swimming pool carried out less than a fortnight after the slaughter of the lambs.

Police will allege the two males entered the pool premises on November 17 or 18 and threw smashed bottles into the water.

The Toowoomba Regional Council was forced to drain, clean and re-fill the pool at considerable expense to its ratepayers.

The pair also allegedly stole a pushbike and defecated on the concrete pool surround during their spree.

They have been charged with entering premises with the intent to commit an offence and are due to appear in the Children’s Court in Warwick shortly.

In other crime news, police in Warwick yesterday arrested four juvenile males from Toowoomba who allegedly stole a Suzuki four wheel drive from Harristown on Sunday night.

A Criminal Investigation Branch spokesman said the offenders, who are yet to appear in court, drove to Clifton yesterday afternoon where they stole items from a local convenience store before heading to Warwick.

Police here were alerted by members of the public who observed the pair acting suspiciously. They are being investigated by Toowoomba police in relation to other offences and are expected to appear in the Children’s Court in Warwick next month.